Current price is 12 cents a pound, hulled. Up from about 11 cents last year.

My crop this year is very small nuts, and about 50% floating (bad).

Currently trying to fill 4 milk crates with good nuts to crack and pick this winter. Will wait another week to see if I have enough nuts to fill a pickup bed or two. Might try picking up nuts again this year, hoping to get enough to pay the property tax on the acreage.

I know Eugene..things aren’t good….After being retired from my regular job and back into farming again this year was really bad. I’m hoping with in the next two years I’ll be out of it and start traveling and seeing the county side…that’s if I’m not broke by then.

I’m really good at doing nothing…With that said…I’m really, really good at doing nothing

I payed $7.50 for a lb bag hulled and ready to go over in Pequea a few weeks back. Saw a sign that said black walnuts and stopped. I picked up my very first english walnut produced on my tree the squirrels didn't get off the ground the other day, I doubt if it is any good as the ones still on the tree are green and the one I picked up maybe from last year, I will open eventually and see what's up.

Last year, 2013, $13- per hundred pounds hulled, picked up enough black walnuts to sell to the hullers to pay for just over half of the acreage property taxes. Most of the nuts fell from the trees after the close of the hulling season.

This year, 2014, price is $14- per hundred pounds hulled. Unfortunately, I have no nuts to sell. I have only one tree producing very large nuts. Should, perhaps, have enough walnuts for my own use. Trees in lower area, no nuts. Do have some trees that have dropped their nuts, lots of nuts, hull is about golf ball size. Not worth picking up.

I feel bad for you guys that are having inflated Black Walnut prices , but I have been enjoying the black walnut season this year cause there just plain are't any I do a lot of property maintenance and some of these properties have black walnut trees I have had years where I picked up probably thousands of those nuts and then there have been years when I pick up a little less but still a lot , well this year there are zero walnuts not a single nut on any of my properties , I thought the lack of nuts was related to the very cold winter we had , many trees and shrubs this season had winter damage.

We had a terrible spring. Several days in the 80 plus degrees with decent night time temps. Then much lower night time temperatures, below freezing for several days, then back up to 80 plus degrees. Then down and up and down and up.

What I think happened is that the black walnut catkins bloomed, then froze in the lower areas. Also, for a good part of the year this area was in a mild drought situation.

Also checked son's neighbor's pecan tree, usually has a good supply of large nuts, this year, nothing.

Observed son's neighbor and his crew picking up black walnuts this afternoon. Son's house is approximately 200 feet higher in elevation than my black walnuts. Probably not hit as hard with the up and down, or freezing night time temps.

We have one tree in the yard. Picked up 7 bushel yesterday and there is still a lot to come down. Will probably throw the rest overboard. Homeowners here are always glad if someone wants to pick up a few. Don't know of any processers in this area. Vern

Sorry for the poor nut harvest, Eugene. A former neighbor told me years ago that walnut trees go through cycles; good years and not-so-good years. If that is true, along with the temperature and mild drought situation, it could just be a down year.

True, nut bearing trees will go through a 2 or 3 year cycle. But the cycle in not synchronized, all trees being on the same cycle. Some trees will bear fruit and other trees, barren.

I have some of the harvested nuts drying in a 4' x 4' wire cage in the back yard. After sufficiently dry I put the nuts in milk crates, stacked on the front porch to cure for several months. I block the larger, hand hold opening to keep squirrels from stealing nuts. Squirrels will come up on the front porch and try to obtain nuts.

I currently have about half the harvested nuts I need to keep EJP's wife happy. I spend cold winter evenings watching TV and cracking and picking walnut meats. I vacuum seal the meats in 2 cup increments. Then gift the nut meats to family and friends. The retail value of a 2 cup package is some where around $18- to $20-. Two brother came over for a visit in January and I gave them my last 6 each, 2 cup packages.

Selling nuts to the huller will return about $8- per hour per person picking up nuts. The value added for cracking and picking meats, I haven't figured out.

Picking walnut meats is very time-consuming, but much appreciated when you're on the receiving end of that transaction. My neighbor used to do the same; pick meats throughout the winter months and give away. He's gone, but the trees are still there. The place is still in the family and though I haven't asked, pretty sure the family intends to keep the nut harvest.

I have a heavy duty nut cracker. It consists of part of a gear and a lever with part of another gear that matches the first. It does a great job of cracking nuts. Frequently providing quarter of the nut sized meats.

I would be diagnosed as hyper active, I just can't sit for very long, have to be doing something. Any way, picking walnut meats is something to do on cold winter nights. I would normally overhaul one of my engines in the house basement during the winter, but I have ran out of engines to rebuild.

The year before last, my tree (In the yard) produced zero nuts. This year I was overwhelmed, and carted 4 large heaping wheelbarrow loads to the woods and dumped them for the squirrels. I tried to give them away, but had no takers. (unprocessed)

sdurnal wrote:I tried to give them away, but had no takers. (unprocessed)

I have found this to be a common problem.

Shortly after purchasing the acreage we cleaned up downed trees into fire wood sized chunks. I offered the fire wood to any one who would take it. Responses were, sure I'll take the fire wood if you deliver it.

I take my excess garden produce to a neighbor who processes fowl. As long as I pick and bag the vegetables, they will accept them. When I tell the folks where the excess vegetables are, they won't get picked.